WILSON says he has rediscovered his love of the game since moving back to Tannadice in the summer following a difficult spell at Bristol City.

DUNDEE UNITED defender Mark Wilson claims his Tannadice return has helped him rediscover his hunger for football.

The former Celtic full-back's career stalled following a disappointing spell at Bristol City and he was freed by the Robins at the end of last season.

But he was given a chance to prove himself once more at his first
senior club when Arabs boss Jackie McNamara handed him a six-month deal
during the summer.

And after grabbing the chance with both hands, he is now set to be rewarded with a new 18-month contract.

The 29-year-old said: "There has definitely been a dip in my career since I left Celtic. It was a tough time at Bristol and I ended up coming back here to train before the manager gave me the chance to come and play for him for six months to prove myself.

"I have loved getting in and playing. It has given me that appetite to get back playing.

"It was hard the last few months at Bristol where I wasn't in the squad and was spending my weekends watching Soccer Saturday while my team-mates are out there playing. It was a nightmare. I was down in the dumps then but now it's great to be playing."

Wilson's new deal comes on the back of just 12 starts this season
as he is made to split the right-back duties with Keith Watson - five years his junior.

But Wilson has no complaints about the defensive job share.

"I'll still have to fight for my place because I'm not first choice here," he said. "I'm happy with that, though. Keith is a lot younger than me and is perhaps going to play more games than me. But the
position is up for grabs.

"It's not something I struggle to get my head round. In my career, I've never been an out-and-out first-choice player, to be honest.

"It was only in my first spell here that I had a long run of games. When I moved to Celtic I played regularly in my first season but when I started picking up more and more injuries, there was other right-backs to compete with, like Andy Hinkel, Adam Matthews, Cha Du Ri.

"It was the same at Bristol with Richard Foster.

"So it's been easy to accept coming here that we have a younger right-back playing well. It just means I have to keep up my standards. I'd rather it was that way than thinking I'm a cert to play and having no motivation to fight for my place. It's good to come into training and
see Keith doing well, because it means I have to up my game."